Honda's November sales boost expectations of record for year

Strong November sales numbers mean Honda is on track for another record year at a time when industry sales as a whole are slightly behind last year's pace.

The automaker sold 133,156 units in November, up 8 percent from the prior-year month.

With 11 months in the books, Honda has sold 1,492,112 units, up 1 percent from the same timeframe in 2016. Figures include Honda and Acura brands.

One model that is not helping is the Accord, whose sales were down 15 percent for the month. The 2018 Accord went on sale in October and is still in the process on arriving at some dealers while 2017 models are still being sold.

"We remain committed to our long-term strategic plans built around steady and sustainable growth," said Henio Arcangeli Jr., Honda's general manager of sales, in a statement.

The company's gains came on the strength of two models, the Civic and CR-V, which were up 23 percent and 25 percent, respectively, and are the two top-sellers in terms of units, just ahead of Accord.

Last month, Honda said that production delays affected the vehicle supply and hurt sales in October. Some of that pent-up demand appears to be behind the strong showing in November.